The Beatles made four movies in their career and I think the very first one they made was their best. A Hard Day’s Night still holds up today and it’s a pretty timeless movie. It was shot on a low budget ($200,000) back in 1964 and it was filmed in just seven weeks. The film shows The Beatles at the start of what would become known as “Beatlemania” and it showcases their keen senses of humor as well as their music.
The Original 1964 Film Trailer
United Artists produced the film and they didn’t expect it to be a financial success. What they were banking on however was that the soundtrack to the film would sell a lot and make up for the cost of the movie. Well, the soundtrack did sell millions but to their surprise, the film also did very well financially. It not only made a lot of money for the studio, it was also nominated for two Academy Awards.
A Hard Day’s Night Retrospective Documentary
An interesting documentary about how the movie was originally pitched and made. It includes the people who made the film and some of the actors who were in the film. One of my favorite parts is the producer, Walter Shenson talking about how they thought of the title of the film and how he asked John Lennon to write a song called, “A Hard Day’s Night” and the next day they had the song all done.
Phil Collins Was An Extra In A Hard Day’s Night
Singer/drummer Phil Collins was a teenaged Beatles fan when the movie was being shot and he wound up being an extra in the film. He talks about it here and you can see Phil in the movie in this video.
My Favorite Scene In A Hard Day’s Night
This is my favorite scene from A Hard Day’s Night and it shows The Beatles taking an anti-establishment attitude towards an old geezer on a train. I love the line, “Hey Mister, can we have our ball back?” Ha ha ha!
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